If you want to make the writing fates laugh, tell your readers your plans.

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Hey!

I thought it would be fun to share what I can of my 2022 plans. Remember when I said before National Novel Writing Month that I like stupid goals? Sometimes I bundle my stupid goals into entire, stupid plans--plans I can only meet in a world where I'm the most focused and efficient version of myself each and every day.

Because it's also useful to know what I can accomplish with more certainty, I plan for the future in tiers. There's the stupid-goal tier, the more-reasonable-but-still-pretty-ambitious tier, and the basic tier. Let's take a look at those one by one. :)

basic

Wild Ones books 4 and 5 will be released in 2022, barring catastrophe. The surest of sure things is As the Tallgrass Grows, which is right on schedule for release on January 28. I'm so very excited about this book, because ever since I wrote Signs of Spring, y'all have been emailing me to tell me you're looking forward to Johnny's story. I think it's well worth the wait.

Book 5 in the series, When the River Rises, should also come in the first half of 2022. And in case you missed it, yes, that last sentence was a title reveal! 😍

Because it came out in more or less final draft form on the first try, Night & Day should also be ready to go for a spring release. Though you've been able to read the story here via email, this will be your chance to get a version for your e-reader, or to grab the paperback.

Finally, I have a secret project that I should be able to tell you more about later this month, and which should release in the fall.

ambitious

I am hopeful that I can complete all the books I have planned for the Chases next year, which means that I would also release book 6, Danny's story.

I haven't gotten the opportunity to plan my rewrite for Undertow yet, even though getting to it this fall was one of my ambitious goals for 2021. That didn't happen, but I'm optimistic that this book's time will come next summer, and it might finally make its way into the wide world in late fall or early winter.

stupid

In an ideal world where I meet my high-end creative speed day in and day out, month in and month out, I would accomplish ALL the above goals, and also write Cakewalk, the next book in my In Step series. I am so invested in Bria's story and really believe in the power of stories about queer people in male/female relationships. Some of my favorite romances fall into that category, and I would be so excited (and terrified) to write one. But for a variety of reasons, Cakewalk keeps getting moved around on my creative back burners. I'll write it one day, but the chances of that day coming in 2022 are slim.

Kindle Unlimited

Most of you read my books on Amazon, so this won't affect their availability for you, but for those of you who have found my work on other platforms, I want to share that I've decided to enroll my books in Kindle Unlimited starting later this month.

A condition of Kindle Unlimited is that the e-books enrolled must be exclusive to Amazon, which means I'll have to take them down from other stores, like Apple, Kobo, and Barnes and Noble.

This change will affect e-books only. If you're reading me in paperback, you can still find your hard copies in all the same places or request them at your library.

I made this decision after a lot of deliberation, knowing that I would disappoint some of my supporters, which I hate. But ultimately, I believe there is a readership I have not been able to reach and want to explore. I can always return to "wide" distribution in the future if I decide to un-enroll from Kindle Unlimited.

To ensure that all my existing readers can continue to get my books, I plan to offer my new releases a few days early on my Payhip store, before they release on Amazon and the exclusivity requirement attaches. Payhip integrates with BookFunnel and enables you to download the correct version for your e-reader of choice, plus it will walk you through the "side loading" process so that the book will look and feel just as it would if you'd gotten it from your usual retailer.

If you have questions about this, let me know and I'd be happy to talk through it with you.

What I'm reading

I just started Merry Measure, by Lily Morton! What's your favorite holiday romance? I hadn't sought out holiday books before, but last year around this time I happened to read several by Keira Andrews, which were wonderful of course. I have a list to go down this season that includes more Keira Andrews, as well as Roan Parrish and Annabeth Albert.

What I'm writing

As of yesterday, I've reached "the end" of As the Tallgrass Grows. I'll be shipping it off to the editor soon, which means in just a couple of weeks I'll be sending out ARCs. If you're interested in an ARC, you can apply by clicking here.

I've struggled just a little getting the very last chapter of Night & Day straight in my mind, but I think I just had an epiphany! That means that Chapter 20, the last installment, should be coming to you on time next week, wrapping up the story. Have you been reading along, or are you waiting until it's complete? For those who are ready for the next installment, it's right at the bottom of this email.

10 Days of Cowboy Christmas

10 Days of Cowboy Christmas

I'm so excited to invite you to a really fun event this month and next. During the 10 days of Cowboy Christmas event, starting Christmas Day, December 25, and continuing until January 5, you'll get an exclusive email sharing a free, full-length MM romance on ten of those days. And you'll be introduced to ten amazing authors as they each share their books. Sign up right here with your email address, which will only be used to share the books during the event.

Wintry MM Romances

Let It Snow - wintry MM romances

There are still a few days left to check out this collection of winter-themed, mm romances, many of which are on sale for the season!

I hope you're having an amazing week.

xo,

Rachel

find me in more places

Website | Rachel's Party Barn on Facebook | Instagram | Discord

my books

Long Winter | Signs of Spring | Burning Season | As the Tallgrass Grows

Jaywalking | Sleepwalker

***

NIGHT & DAY

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve | Chapter Thirteen | Chapter Fourteen | Chapter Fifteen | Chapter Sixteen | Chapter Seventeen | Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

When Ty woke up in bed alone, his first impulse was to go looking for Jonathan and drag him back. Then he remembered, guiltily, that Jonathan had an infant daughter he was probably looking after, and reached for his phone instead.

That was usually the first thing he did when he woke up—grabbed his phone, checked the time, and made sure his sisters didn't need anything. Or at least, didn't need anything urgently. This morning he had no new text messages, which wasn’t a surprise considering he’d only slept a few hours.

Still, the four of them needed to get on the same page. He'd been too tired to decide whether to be angry or just relieved the night before, and relief had won out. To be honest, he wasn't much less tired now, but his head felt calmer.

He needed to call a family meeting. And while his most successful sibling summits had been conducted over pancakes, considering they were spread out on opposite corners of the metro and Sam and Emily had school, he settled for a group text.

We've got to talk, was his opening line. The group chat had been used a couple of days ago for Danielle to send a meme, but for the most part he communicated with them either directly or in three-person combinations. Him, Danielle, and Emily when the topic was too adult for Sam. Him, Danielle, and Sam when the subject was celebrity gossip. And him, Emily and Sam when the subject was political outrage.

A few seconds later a message came from Emily. I filled Danielle in last night.

Danielle chimed in, Just so you know I told them it wasn't going to work and that when you found out you'd be PISSED.

Emily reacted to Danielle's message with an eye-rolling emoji and then texted, Sam is here too.

Ty studied the screen for a few seconds. Suddenly, he couldn't remember what he’d wanted to say. Maybe if he were seeing them in person, he'd rant and lecture… but maybe he wouldn't.

He just didn't see the point. He knew why they'd done what they did. At the same time, he didn't think they'd do the same thing again. But just to be sure, he texted, I know you thought you were doing the right thing. But lying is never the right thing.

He winced as soon as he did it, imagining all three of them sighing in exasperation because if that wasn't a Dad saying, what was?

Sam surprised him by being the one to answer first, with a straightforward, You're right.

The other two quickly gave Sam's message the pointing finger emoji to indicate they agreed.

I just love you all so much, he sent impulsively, then winced again. To lighten the tone, he sent a string of emojis that were alternately enraged, laughing, and crying.

That set off a string of emoji-only replies from the others. Danielle sent the nauseous face emoji, Emily sent a full set of hearts in rainbow order, and then Sam chimed in with three black ones.

Ty chuckled and shook his head, then tossed his phone down on the mattress and went looking for Jonathan.

He was in the living room, lying on his stomach with his chin on his arm. Before him was Isabel, also lying on her stomach, but in the middle of a soft blanket. 

"Oh, tummy time," Ty murmured. "Is she angry yet?" Isabel tolerated the first ten minutes of time on her front pretty well, and then began to get frustrated. The efforts were paying off though. She was strong for being just over three months. She could almost push herself up with her hands with straight elbows.

"She is furious," Jonathan confirmed, turning his cheek against his wrist to look up at Ty as he stepped close. His eyes were soft, and maybe a little unsure. "How did you sleep?"

"Too well," Ty admitted with a wry laugh. "I didn't mean to sleep half the morning away." He dropped to his knees and rested a tentative hand on Jonathan's back, suddenly unsure whether he was allowed to touch him. Jonathan put his hand on Ty's thigh in return and squeezed, and his heart pounded happily as he relaxed..

"I slept perfectly."

They smiled at each other, and Ty leaned down, bracing himself with a hand against the floor, and kissed Jonathan’s upturned face. Jonathan parted his lips for Ty at once, and for several seconds, Ty was lost to their soft, shallow, exploring kisses, until Isabel let out a screech that was definitely baby speak for excuse me!

With a breath of laughter, Ty pulled away and squinted at the baby. She’d made her body rigid, her chest raised just enough that she could strain her neck to stare at them while madly windmilling her arms like a tiny Superman.

“Furious,” Ty agreed, reaching out so she could grab his finger, and then slump onto her stomach, chin on the floor, to wave it to and fro in strong little jerks of her fist. “Can I rescue her?” he asked Jonathan.

“Sure. It’s been almost ten minutes,” Jonathan allowed, rolling onto his side and propping his head in his hand as he yawned.

Ty gently rolled Isabel over, then rubbed her sides with his thumbs and squeezed her legs firmly with both hands, which she loved for some reason. Sure enough, she chuckled happily, then swept up a nubby rubber ball from the blanket beside her and started gumming it.

“So,” Jonathan said in a contemplative tone, and when Ty glanced down at him, he had a puzzled look on his face, “if I were to tell you that ‘Shay says hi,’ what would that mean to you?”

“Oh, the neighbor,” Ty said easily, not understanding why that response made Jonathan look more confused instead of less. “They’re nice. We walk together most mornings.” He tilted his head, eyes narrowing as Jonathan’s eyebrows drew closer and closer together in apparent consternation. “What?”

Releasing a long breath, Jonathan sat up and hooked his elbows over his bent knees. “We need to talk.”

Ty gave Isabel’s foot a gentle tweak and twisted around to face him. “Okay,” he said cautiously.

“I spoke to Natalie this morning.”

The quick one-eighty from one subject to another left Ty startled, not to mention uneasy given that he’d been doing his best to think about Jonathan’s missing wife as little as possible. He didn’t think of Jonathan as married at all—Jonathan had always made it pretty clear he considered his marriage to be over. Maybe even before his wife left.

But he was technically married, a fact that made Ty deeply uncomfortable when he let it take hold. So he just… didn’t.

Now, though, he was having a hard time pretending ignorance.

“Oh, wow. That’s… really good.”

Jonathan looked tentatively relieved. “Yes. I’m glad you think so.”

“You’ve been worried about her, and she’s Isabel’s mom.” Ty shrugged. “Of course it’s a good thing.”

Jonathan studied Ty while a very small smile curled up one side of his mouth.

“What?” Ty wiped a hand across his face like there might be something there that Jonathan was staring at.

Jonathan just shook his head, and unbent his right knee enough that he could nudge Ty’s bare foot with his own. “You’re rather incredible, you know that?”

A happy warmth bloomed in Ty’s chest and he snorted and admitted, “Well, I know it’s a good thing. But I’m also freaking out, a tiny bit. I mean, she’s Isabel’s mom and, technically, your wife.”

Jonathan leaned toward Ty and stroked his knee. “It’s only technical. And it won’t be technical, either, for much longer. It didn’t make much difference to me whether I was ‘technically’ married before we… well, before us. But it does now.”

At that declaration, the blooming warmth that had started in his stomach spread to Ty's fingers and toes. 

“I’ll take care of it,” Jonathan assured him. “I know Natalie will be eager to do so too.”

Ty put his hand on Jonathan’s arm and smiled shyly. “I’m glad.” He hesitated. “There’s something I need to talk to you about too.”

“Anything.” Jonathan looked into his eyes, his expression open and warm.

“I need to quit.” When Jonathan’s eyes widened and he grasped Ty’s knee in surprised reflex, Ty squeezed his arm. “I don’t think I should work for you if we’re… you know.” He bit his lip worriedly. “It seems… shady.”

Jonathan’s moment of tension seemed to pass, though he still gripped Ty’s leg. “So we’re not—breaking up?”

A laugh bubbled out of Ty, and he broke free of Jonathan’s hold so he could scoot closer, bringing them face to face bracketed by each other’s thighs. “No, we’re not breaking up,” he said happily, looping his arms around Jonathan’s neck. “We’re getting together.”

“Oh,” Jonathan murmured, flashing a rare, and completely devastating grin that sent a rush of lust through Ty’s body, making him feel like he could glow. “Well, I like the sound of that.” 

They leaned in to kiss each other’s grinning lips, but Jonathan froze at the last moment and tipped his head back to meet Ty’s eyes again.

“Shay,” he said.

Ty frowned, thinking this was a strange time to talk about the neighbor, but then he remembered that they’d already come up, before Jonathan had launched into a conversation about Natalie instead. “What about Shay?”

Jonathan stroked his back with a tentative smile. “Shay and Natalie are the same person, apparently.”

Ty’s eyes widened. “What?” He thought frantically back through his interactions with Shay. The coincidence of their walks took on new significance, and he tensed, searching his memory for anything he might have done or said that he shouldn’t have if he’d known who Shay was. But they’d always been careful not to overstep with Isabel, though of course their sometimes pained, developing interest in the baby now made much more sense…

While Ty struggled to integrate the concept of Natalie into the reality of Shay for a few moments longer, Jonathan continued stroking his back with his knuckles, looking mildly concerned. “I know it’s strange, but it makes me feel better to know that she was close by. That she wanted to see Isabel, and know she was okay.”

Ty took a deep breath, deciding that this revelation was actually a good thing. He liked Jonathan’s soon-to-be ex-wife and had a sneaking suspicion she liked him, too. And Jonathan was right. He felt better knowing that Isabel’s mother hadn’t walked away—not really, or at least, not far.

He nodded. “Me too.”

Jonathan exhaled with relief and slid his hands down Ty’s back to cup his ass, hoisting him up as he pulled his thighs together so, just like that, Ty sat on his lap. “Incredible,” he murmured, kissing Ty’s shoulder, his hands still gripping his ass in a way that was quickly distracting Ty from the matter at hand…

“Bah!” Isabel shouted. “Bah-bah-bah!”

They turned their heads toward her in unison, to find that she was back on her tummy, when she’d been left on her back. She was even more furious than ever, but her pudgy little arms were holding her chest off the floor, her elbows straight, so that she could scowl straight at them without straining her neck.

“Oh, good girl,” Ty crooned, wriggling out of Jonathan’s lap and grinning from ear to ear as he crawled over to her. “You rolled over!”

Jonathan murmured his own praise, twisting his body to stretch out beside Ty. “Does that mean she’ll crawl soon?”

Ty laughed wryly. “Yes. But don’t sound too excited about that. Once she’s mobile, you’re really going to have your hands full.” He glanced at Jonathan’s face and laughed at the look of blank shock there.

“I thought it was supposed to get easier,” Jonathan said.

Ty snorted. “If you think that, you haven’t spent enough time with my sisters.”

Jonathan laughed, and ran a hand down Ty’s back. “I hope we can change that very soon.”

“You’re going to regret saying that,” Ty said wryly, but the words touched him. “You really mean it?”

“Of course,” Jonathan said immediately, then continued more hesitantly. “I was thinking—given the fire, and how close this place is to UMKC—that you might want to stay here more permanently.”

Ty’s heart sped up, but he hesitated. He didn’t know what Sam would want to do; the system Emily and Danielle had worked out seemed to be working for Sam too. But either way he couldn’t live somewhere that didn’t have a place for her too. “I don’t know if…” 

Somehow understanding his hesitation without him putting it into words, Jonathan interrupted him. “I mean you and Sam. According to one of my co-workers, the school district assigned to this address is a very good one. Or, if she doesn’t want to change schools, we could arrange a car service…” He trailed off, looking nervous. “But maybe it’s too much, too fast. I only thought…”

Ty stopped him by putting a hand to his cheek. “You’re the incredible one.”

Jonathan gave him a hopeful smile. “Oh? Not the overly impulsive one?”

“No,” Ty said firmly. “Or—maybe it is impulsive. Maybe it’s too much, or too fast, but I don’t care.” His heart was beating hard. He had no idea where this sudden confidence was coming from, but all the doubts he’d ever had about him and Jonathan felt small and forgettable. He had faith in them—in his own feelings, which he saw mirrored in Jonathan’s eyes. “If you’ll have us, then yeah. Let’s do it.”

He didn’t want to step back if they could step forward instead. 

A second or so later, Jonathan had hauled him back into his lap to kiss him. “I love you so much,” he murmured against Ty’s lips. “I’m going to do everything I can to make you happy.”

Ty wrapped his legs around Jonathan’s waist and savored Jonathan’s mouth a few moments more before pulling back to grin. “You already have made me happy. And I love you, too.”